Revelations printed in Evening and Morning Star, January 1835–June 1836

Excerpt of Revelation, ca. 7 Mar. 1831, in “Extract of a Prophecy Given March 7, 1831,” Evening
and Morning Star, June 1832 (Jan. 1835), 5–6 [D&C 45:1–71]. This version corresponds to the version in
The Evening and the Morning Star, indicating that the latter was used as a source text for the former.

Hearken, O ye people of my church
to whom the kingdom has been given:
hearken ye and give ear to him who laid
the foundation of the earth; who made the
heavens and all the host thereof, and by
whom all things were made which live and
move and have a being. And again I say,
hearken unto my voice, lest death shall
overtake you: in an hour when ye think not
the summer shall be past, and the harvest
ended, and your souls not saved. Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father,
who is pleading your cause before him; saying,
Father behold the sufferings and death
of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast
well pleased: behold the blood of thy Son
which was shed, the blood of him whom
thou gavest that thyself might be glorified;
wherefore, Father spare these my brethren
that believe on my name, that they may
come unto me and have everlasting life.

A male leader in the church generally; an ecclesiastical and priesthood office or one holding that office; a proselytizing missionary. The Book of Mormon explained that elders ordained priests and teachers and administered “the flesh and blood of Christ unto...

listen together, and hear my
voice while it is called to-day and harden
not your hearts; for verily I say unto you
that I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning
and the end, the light and the life of
the world, a light that shineth in darkness
and the darkness comprehendeth it not: I
came unto my own and my own received
me not; but unto as many as received me
gave I power to do many miracles, and to
become the sons of God, and even unto
them that believed on my name, gave I
power to obtain eternal life.— And even so
I have sent mine everlasting covenant

Generally referred to the “fulness of the gospel”—the sum total of the church’s message, geared toward establishing God’s covenant people on the earth; also used to describe individual elements of the gospel, including marriage. According to JS, the everlasting...

into
the world, to be a light to the world, and to
be a standard for my people and for the
Gentiles

Those who were not members of the House of Israel. More specifically, members of the church identified gentiles as those whose lineage was not of the Jews or Lamanites (understood to be the American Indians in JS’s day). Certain prophecies indicated that ...

to seek to it; and to be a messenger
before my face to prepare the way
before me. Wherefore come ye unto it, and
with him that cometh I will reason as with
men in days of old, and I will show unto
you my strong reasoning; wherefore hearken
ye together and let me show it unto you,
even my wisdom, the wisdom of him
whom ye say is the God of Enoch, and his
brethren, who were separated from the
earth, and were received unto myself—a city
reserved until a day of righteousness shall
come—a day which was sought for by all
holy men, and they found it not because
of wickedness and abominations: and
confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims
on the earth; but obtained a promise that they should find it, and see it in their
flesh. Wherefore hearken and I will reason
with you, and I will speak unto you and
prophesy as unto men in days of old; and I
will show it plainly as I showed it unto my
disciples

Generally, a follower of Jesus Christ, and in certain cases, one selected to lead the ministry. In the New Testament, Christ ordained twelve of his disciples as apostles. The Book of Mormon recounted that during his ministry to the Nephites, Christ similarly...

, as I stood before them in the flesh,
and spake unto them saying: As ye have
asked of me concerning the signs of my
coming, in the day when I shall come in
my glory in the clouds of heaven, to fulfil
the promises that I have made unto your
fathers: for as you have looked upon the
long absence of your spirits from your
bodies to be a bondage, I will show unto
you how the day of redemption shall come,
and also the restoration of scattered
Israel.

And now ye behold this temple which
is in Jerusalem, which ye call the house of
God, and your enemies say that this house
shall never fall. But verily I say unto you,
that desolation shall come upon this generation
as a thief in the night, and this
people shall be destroyed and scattered
among all nations, and this temple which
ye now see, shall be thrown down that
there shall not be left one stone upon
another. And it shall come to pass, that
this generation of Jews shall not pass away,
until every desolation which I have told
you concerning them, shall come to pass.

Ye say that ye know, that the end of
the world cometh; ye say also that ye know,
that the heavens and the earth shall pass
away; and in this ye say truly, for so it is;
but these things which I have told you,
shall not pass away, but all shall be fulfilled.— And this I have told you concerning
Jerusalem, and when that day shall come,
a remnant shall be scattered among all
nations, but they shall be gathered again;
but they shall remain until the times of the
Gentiles be fulfilled. And in that day shall
be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion,
and men’s hearts shall fail them, and they
shall say that Christ delayeth his coming
until the end of the earth. And the love of
men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall
abound; and when the time of the Gentiles
is come in, a light shall break forth among
them that sit in darkness, and it shall be
the fulness of my gospel; but they receive it
not, for they perceive not the light, and
they turn their hearts from me because of
the precepts of men; and in that generation
shall the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled:
and there shall be men standing in that
generation, that shall not pass until they
shall see an overflowing scourge; for a dessolating
sicness shall cover the land; but my
disciples shall stand in holy places and shall
not be moved; but among the wicked men
shall lift up their voices and curse God and
die. And there shall be earthquakes, also,
in divers places, and many desolations, yet
men will harden their hearts against me;
and they will take up the sword one against
another and they will kill one another.

And now, when I the Lord had spoken
these words unto my disciples, they were
troubled, and I said unto them, be not
troubled, for when all these things shall
come to pass, ye may know that the promises
which have been made unto you, shall
be fulfilled; and when the light shall begin
to break forth, it shall be with them like
unto a parable which I will show you: you
look and behold the fig trees, and ye see
them with your eyes, and ye say, when they
begin to shoot forth and their leaves are yet
tender, that summer is now nigh at
hand; even so it shall be in that day when
they shall see all these things; for then shall
they know that the hour is nigh.

And it shall come to pass that he that
feareth me shall be looking for the great
day of the Lord to come, even for the signs
of the coming of the son of man; and they
shall see signs and wonders, for they shall
be shown forth in the heavens above and
in the earth beneath; and they shall behold
blood and fire, and vapors of smoke; and
before the day of the Lord shall come the
sun shall be darkened, and the moon
turned into blood, and stars fall from
heaven; and the remnant shall be gathered
unto this place, and then they shall look
for me, and behold I will come; and they
shall see me in the clouds of heaven,
clothed with power and great glory, with all
[p. [5]]

Excerpt of Revelation, ca. 7 Mar. 1831, in “Extract of a Prophecy Given March 7, 1831,” Evening
and Morning Star, June 1832 (Jan. 1835), 5–6 [D&C 45:1–71]. This version corresponds to the version in
The Evening and the Morning Star, indicating that the latter was used as a source text for the former.

Hearken, O ye people of my church
to whom the kingdom has been given:
hearken ye and give ear to him who laid
the foundation of the earth; who made the
heavens and all the host thereof, and by
whom all things were made which live and
move and have a being. And again I say,
hearken unto my voice, lest death shall
overtake you: in an hour when ye think not
the summer shall be past, and the harvest
ended, and your souls not saved. Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father,
who is pleading your cause before him; saying,
Father behold the sufferings and death
of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast
well pleased: behold the blood of thy Son
which was shed, the blood of him whom
thou gavest that thyself might be glorified;
wherefore, Father spare these my brethren
that believe on my name, that they may
come unto me and have everlasting life.

A male leader in the church generally; an ecclesiastical and priesthood office or one holding that office; a proselytizing missionary. The Book of Mormon explained that elders ordained priests and teachers and administered “the flesh and blood of Christ unto...

listen together, and hear my
voice while it is called to-day and harden
not your hearts; for verily I say unto you
that I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning
and the end, the light and the life of
the world, a light that shineth in darkness
and the darkness comprehendeth it not: I
came unto my own and my own received
me not; but unto as many as received me
gave I power to do many miracles, and to
become the sons of God, and even unto
them that believed on my name, gave I
power to obtain eternal life.— And even so
I have sent mine everlasting covenant

Generally referred to the “fulness of the gospel”—the sum total of the church’s message, geared toward establishing God’s covenant people on the earth; also used to describe individual elements of the gospel, including marriage. According to JS, the everlasting...

into
the world, to be a light to the world, and to
be a standard for my people and for the
Gentiles

Those who were not members of the House of Israel. More specifically, members of the church identified gentiles as those whose lineage was not of the Jews or Lamanites (understood to be the American Indians in JS’s day). Certain prophecies indicated that ...

to seek to it; and to be a messenger
before my face to prepare the way
before me. Wherefore come ye unto it, and
with him that cometh I will reason as with
men in days of old, and I will show unto
you my strong reasoning; wherefore hearken
ye together and let me show it unto you,
even my wisdom, the wisdom of him
whom ye say is the God of Enoch, and his
brethren, who were separated from the
earth, and were received unto myself—a city
reserved until a day of righteousness shall
come—a day which was sought for by all
holy men, and they found it not because
of wickedness and abominations: and
confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims
on the earth; but obtained a promise that they should find it, and see it in their
flesh. Wherefore hearken and I will reason
with you, and I will speak unto you and
prophesy as unto men in days of old; and I
will show it plainly as I showed it unto my
disciples

Generally, a follower of Jesus Christ, and in certain cases, one selected to lead the ministry. In the New Testament, Christ ordained twelve of his disciples as apostles. The Book of Mormon recounted that during his ministry to the Nephites, Christ similarly...

, as I stood before them in the flesh,
and spake unto them saying: As ye have
asked of me concerning the signs of my
coming, in the day when I shall come in
my glory in the clouds of heaven, to fulfil
the promises that I have made unto your
fathers: for as you have looked upon the
long absence of your spirits from your
bodies to be a bondage, I will show unto
you how the day of redemption shall come,
and also the restoration of scattered
Israel.

And now ye behold this temple which
is in Jerusalem, which ye call the house of
God, and your enemies say that this house
shall never fall. But verily I say unto you,
that desolation shall come upon this generation
as a thief in the night, and this
people shall be destroyed and scattered
among all nations, and this temple which
ye now see, shall be thrown down that
there shall not be left one stone upon
another. And it shall come to pass, that
this generation of Jews shall not pass away,
until every desolation which I have told
you concerning them, shall come to pass.

Ye say that ye know, that the end of
the world cometh; ye say also that ye know,
that the heavens and the earth shall pass
away; and in this ye say truly, for so it is;
but these things which I have told you,
shall not pass away, but all shall be fulfilled.— And this I have told you concerning
Jerusalem, and when that day shall come,
a remnant shall be scattered among all
nations, but they shall be gathered again;
but they shall remain until the times of the
Gentiles be fulfilled. And in that day shall
be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion,
and men’s hearts shall fail them, and they
shall say that Christ delayeth his coming
until the end of the earth. And the love of
men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall
abound; and when the time of the Gentiles
is come in, a light shall break forth among
them that sit in darkness, and it shall be
the fulness of my gospel; but they receive it
not, for they perceive not the light, and
they turn their hearts from me because of
the precepts of men; and in that generation
shall the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled:
and there shall be men standing in that
generation, that shall not pass until they
shall see an overflowing scourge; for a dessolating
sicness shall cover the land; but my
disciples shall stand in holy places and shall
not be moved; but among the wicked men
shall lift up their voices and curse God and
die. And there shall be earthquakes, also,
in divers places, and many desolations, yet
men will harden their hearts against me;
and they will take up the sword one against
another and they will kill one another.

And now, when I the Lord had spoken
these words unto my disciples, they were
troubled, and I said unto them, be not
troubled, for when all these things shall
come to pass, ye may know that the promises
which have been made unto you, shall
be fulfilled; and when the light shall begin
to break forth, it shall be with them like
unto a parable which I will show you: you
look and behold the fig trees, and ye see
them with your eyes, and ye say, when they
begin to shoot forth and their leaves are yet
tender, that summer is now nigh at
hand; even so it shall be in that day when
they shall see all these things; for then shall
they know that the hour is nigh.

And it shall come to pass that he that
feareth me shall be looking for the great
day of the Lord to come, even for the signs
of the coming of the son of man; and they
shall see signs and wonders, for they shall
be shown forth in the heavens above and
in the earth beneath; and they shall behold
blood and fire, and vapors of smoke; and
before the day of the Lord shall come the
sun shall be darkened, and the moon
turned into blood, and stars fall from
heaven; and the remnant shall be gathered
unto this place, and then they shall look
for me, and behold I will come; and they
shall see me in the clouds of heaven,
clothed with power and great glory, with all
[p. [5]]

JS revelations, dated 20 July and 1 Aug. 1831, directed establishment of LDS church’s first printing office in Independence, Missouri. Dedicated by Bishop Edward Partridge, 29 May 1832. Located on Lot 76, on Liberty Street just south of courthouse square....

Located twelve miles from western Missouri border. Permanently settled, platted, and designated county seat, 1827. Hub for steamboat travel on Missouri River. Point of departure for Santa Fe Trail. Population in 1831 about 300. Mormon population by summer...

Vigilantes, demanding removal of Latter-day Saints from Jackson County, Missouri, destroyed printing office and tarred and feathered Edward Partridge and Charles Allen, Independence, Jackson County, Missouri; a few dozen copies of unfinished Book of Commandments...

and publication efforts there were permanently halted, printing commenced on
a newly acquired press in Kirtland

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and 1,000 others; in 1838 about 2,000 Saints and 1,200 others; in 1839 about 100 Saints and 1,500 others. Mormon missionaries visited township...

A firm established by the United Firm on 11 September 1833 to print newspapers in Kirtland, Ohio. In December 1833, F. G. Williams & Co. resumed the interrupted printing of the church newspaper The Evening and the Morning Star. After the United Firm was reorganized...

,
continued printing The Evening and the Morning Star, the newspaper begun in Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

The first issue of the reprinted newspaper, which appeared under the slightly modified
title Evening and Morning Star, was published in January 1835.2

The title that appears in the newspaper’s nameplate was likely shortened because of a reduction in
the newspaper’s size. The longer original title, The Evening and the Morning Star, is printed at the middle
and end of each issue with other publication information. For the sake of clarity, the reprinted paper is
referred to by its shortened title for all references in The Joseph Smith Papers.

Though touted as a reprint
that would correct typographical and other errors,3

Evening and Morning Star actually
contained significant changes to the revelation texts. In the first issue, editor Oliver Cowdery

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

explained the revisions he was making in the reprinted versions of the
revelations:

On the revelations we merely say, that we were not a little surprised to find the
previous print so different from the original. We have given them a careful
comparison, assisted by individuals whose known integrity and ability is
uncensurable. Thus saying we cast no reflections upon those who were entrusted
with the responsibility of publishing them in Missouri

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Mormon missionaries...

, as our own labors were
included in that important service to the church, and it was our unceasing
endeavor to have them correspond with the copy furnished us. We believe they are
now correct. If not in every word, at least in principle.4

Notice, Evening and Morning Star, June 1832 (Jan. 1835), 16. The prospectus to Evening and Morning
Star also states “that in the first 14 numbers, in the Revelations, are many errors, typographical, and others,
occasioned by transcribing manuscript; but as we shall have access to originals, we shall endeavor to
make proper corrections.” (“Prospectus,” The Evening and the Morning Star, Sept. 1834, 192.)

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

’s statement, very few of the changes in the reprint
represent a restoration back to the earliest text, though Cowdery consulted early manuscript
sources when reprinting some of the revelations.5

On 4 February 1835, Cowdery wrote to Newel K. Whitney requesting that the latter send “the original
copy of the Revelation given to 12 elders Feb. 1831 called ‘The Law of the Church.’” Cowdery
explained, “We are preparing the old Star for re-printing, and have no copy from which to correct, and
kno[w] of no other beside yours.” (Oliver Cowdery, Kirtland, OH, to Newel K. Whitney, 4 Feb. 1835,
Newel K. Whitney, Papers, BYU.)

Because the revelations were meant
to be used as a guide for the current operations of the church, they were edited in 1835 to
reflect current organization, doctrine, and practice, which had continued to develop since
the revelations were first dictated. For example, the version of a 9 February 1831 revelation
printed in Evening and Morning Star includes discussion of the duties of elders, priests,
teachers, bishops, high priests, and the high council.6

Revelation, 9 Feb. 1831, in “Extract of Covenants for the Church of the Latter Day Saints,” Evening
and Morning Star, July 1832 (Feb. 1835), 30–31 [D&C 42].

The revelation was
revised in 1835 to reflect these additional roles. Most of the changes made to revelations in
the early issues of Evening and Morning Star are also reflected in the same revelations as
published in the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants (1835), and the editing work on
that volume, in turn, influenced the presentation of revelations in later issues of Evening
and Morning Star.9

The table that follows lists each of the revelatory
items printed in the Star and its reprint, along with its bibliographic information. See Revelations Printed in The Evening and the Morning Star for a side-by-side comparison of the revelations printed in the Star and its reprint.

Key to column titles

Vol:Issue:

Volume and issue number

Star Print Date:

Month in which the item was printed in The Evening and the Morning Star

Star Pages:

Pages on which the item was printed in The Evening and the Morning Star

Reprint Print Date:

Month in which the item was printed in Evening and Morning Star

Reprint Pages:

Pages on which the item was printed in Evening and Morning Star

Date:

Date of item, followed by section number in Doctrine and Covenants, 1981 edition, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and 1,000 others; in 1838 about 2,000 Saints and 1,200 others; in 1839 about 100 Saints and 1,500 others. Mormon missionaries visited township...

3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...

. The copy used for this transcription is currently part of a bound
volume held at CHL; includes marginalia and archival notations.

Evening and Morning Star, an edited reprint of The Evening and the Morning Star, presents revelations
throughout its first thirteen issues, except for the April 1833 issue, which was printed in June 1836.
When printing Evening and Morning Star, the editors revised the revelations found in The Evening and
the Morning Star, changing wording and sometimes order and position on the page. One revelation
printed in the earlier newspaper was not reprinted in this edition of the paper.1

Revelation,16 Apr. 1830, in “The Articles and Covenants of the Church of Christ,” The Evening and
the Morning Star,June 1832, [1]–[2] [D&C 22].

The page size of Evening
and Morning Star was smaller than that of its predecessor. Each issue has eight leaves (sixteen pages),
with two columns on each page, each page measuring 9¼ × 5¾ inches (23 × 15 cm). Because Evening
and Morning Star was a reprint, its issues maintained the dating of the original issues; thus, the first
issue of Evening and Morning Star is dated June 1832, though it was printed in January 1835, as indicated
by a publisher’s notice on the last page of the issue.

The original owner of the volume used for this transcription is unknown. The upper right corner
of the second free endsheet is cut away, and based on a residual ink flourish on the recto near the cut, it appears that a signature was removed from the book at some point. This volume is held at the Church
History Library, but its provenance is unknown.

Facts

Editorial Title

Revelations printed in Evening and Morning Star, January 1835–June 1836